Never Too Late
by EternalEmotions107
Summary: Time may have passed, they may have changed, but many things did not. He still wouldn't ever let her die, and she doesn't know why. Hints of OxA. My tamest rating so far. One-shot, drabble, and not based on the Three Days Grace song, even if it is awesome. Exactly 1,000 words.


**Hi. Uh, I've been meaning to finish up my other fic, but I couldn't help it! I've had so many ideas for one-shots that I couldn't really put into BP, SF, so I had to write this instead as a drabble. You might see more one-shots in the year future.**

**Anyways, this is pretty basic and simple. Lacking a bit in action, more just thoughts, so I still hope you like it.**

**~ Enjoy, my friends! ~**

It had been a long journey. From day one to the present, she could do more than watch and wait; she could save herself. They all could save themselves, but it was their duty to protect her. She appreciated it so much over the years. Now though, all of her friends were adjusting to the fact that she didn't always need guards. Aelita grew used to getting devirtualized the normal way – the shot of a laser. She didn't have to hide or run away quite so much – she could join in now. She was accustomed to using more than her creativity – her energy fields – to survive in the virtual world.

Still, she didn't want to dwell on the fact that she was not as good of a fighter as her friends. Aelita was more in tune with Lyoko than Jeremie, Yumi, Odd, or Ulrich was. You still wouldn't want to mess with her; her powers were quite impressive. Was it enough? Every single one of them had been saved by another at one point. Aelita didn't think she could ever ditch the feeling of always being watched over, as her friends could probably never lose the instinct to save her. As she became stronger, less of a guardian and more of a warrior, she noticed that maybe they would keep risking their lives for her, but it wouldn't be as often.

At least she thought.

There was always one who took it upon himself to jump in front of lasers, off of vehicles, into the path of danger, so she could make it. And she never understood why. Was it purely instinct, or something more? She couldn't just ask him. Her life had been saved countless times, and by now, she'd saved his before, too. Aelita may be sweet, sensitive, and shy with the right amounts of playful and stubborn, yet over time, she'd become more and more observant. Why was it that when she noted his interaction with Yumi, it seemed _different?_

Sure, he cared about both girls. With Yumi though, it was more of an "I've got your back" kind of feeling; he wouldn't want to let her down. Aelita couldn't help but feel that he was more _protective _of when it came to herself, and wouldn't want her to get hurt.

She could tell herself over and over how crazy that was, and it wouldn't matter. Every time she was saved by him, the same emotions ran freely. Ranging from grateful to relief to slight shyness (depending on the situation), and now curiosity.

He was a daredevil, that much was clear. It was basically his nature to be risky, impulsive, and carefree. Did she just happen to be the one he constantly saved because he was accustomed to after being put into a situation where he had to, or was it because it was _her_ and who she was made him want to?

If Aelita was being honest to anyone, even herself, she wasn't _always _impressed by his antics, especially if they led him into trouble. She wasn't as reckless as him, but when it has been the difference between life or death at certain times, she couldn't bring herself to regret or dislike the quality that he possessed. It was simply part of who he was.

Lyoko was different than Earth obviously. When Aelita fell, she knew her heart would pound anyways if it was possible. However, if he was there with her, she didn't have any doubts. Jeremie surprisingly wouldn't scold about him not saving her sooner. After all, Jeremie couldn't say anything as long as the girl he loved was ok.

Aelita didn't know if it was the same for him though when again, it might just be instinct. She wished she didn't feel the need to question it, instead just enjoy it. Now she was curious as to why this still happened. And grateful of course. He held her life in his hands, and he hadn't dropped it, ever. If he could help it, he always would go to Lyoko. The others, herself included assumed that he loved the adventure that came with it. Aelita doubted that it was a lie, knowing with certainty that it was true. She didn't have anything to do with it. It was notable though how often they were alone on the virtual world, opening doors for being rescued.

She may defend herself, fight along side them, even get to be the protector at times. If she was in peril, he still would save her. And Aelita didn't realize it yet, but he was even showing her how to save herself. He would secretly smile every time she defeated a monster or entered a tower successfully. His motivation helped more than he, or she knew.

Even as the months went by. Any current battle was slightly reminiscent of a time when all she could do was run for her life.

She sprinted as fast as she could, closer to the tower, and unfortunately, the cliff nearby. A sphere of pink energy formed in her hands before she aimed and threw.

"Nice shot Princess!"

"Thanks." She threw another energy field, destroying a second hornet. With two more, Aelita made a shield, blocking the lasers from the remaining monsters. Several shots could still defeat her. She backed up, the energy fields vanished, and in one swift moment, she was knocked off the platform, falling below to endless virtualization.

The familiar almost existent racing of her heart came associated with falling, as usual.

Doubt? No.

He appeared, just as she inches away from the sea, to save her. And he did. Once again, she survived. Every emotion was present, and the experience was the same. In that moment, as his tail wrapped around her slightly, consciously or not, she realized that she might not know why he felt the need to protect her to the end. But she did know that he was not too late.

He was never too late.

**Ok, so it's pretty obvious who "he" is. The point was that I didn't need to say . . . er . . . type . . . his name for you all to know. I hope you liked it, and I'll be uploading more soon. Thanks for reading, and review all you want! :)**


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